I'm an assistant professor of Neuroscience and Computer Science at the University of Texas at Austin. My lab has a website! My research uses computational methods to model how the brain (measured using fMRI) processes language and represents meaning. Also I'm really interested in fMRI technology and data visualization.

In 2016 I wrote a neat paper about how the meaning of language is represented in brain activity. I showed how models based on semantic properties of words can do surprisingly well at predicting fMRI responses to naturally spoken, narrative stories. Then I analyzed those models to determine which kinds of semantic properties are represented in which brain areas, creating detailed maps of semantic representation across the human cortex. It also looks like these maps are really consistent across subjects. To produce a group atlas from these data I developed a generative model of cortical maps. I also made a fancy web-based 3D viewer for this dataset.

Back in 2012 I wrote a paper about the cortical representation of visual semantic categories. I showed that pretty much all of the higher visual cortex is semantically selective, and argued that this representation is better understood as gradients of selectivity across the cortex than as distinct areas. I also made a video that explains the paper, and there's a nice FAQ on our lab website. I also made a nifty online viewer for that dataset.